Five IOS 26 Features That Changed the Way I Use My IPhone
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iOS 26 was released a few days ago, and with it came a ton of handy little changes to how you use your phone. Not all of them are worth leaving as is, and I’ve already written about how to disable the new Liquid Glass transparency effects or fix the tilt of Dark Mode icons . Still, there’s plenty to like about this update, even if some of them require a bit of effort to enable .
After spending a couple of nights customizing iOS 26 to my preferences, here are my favorite new features in Apple’s latest operating system.
Change the clock size
This option pairs perfectly with my iPhone 15 Pro’s always-on display. As a millennial, I don’t always have the luxury of an old-school clock in my apartment. Instead, I just carry my phone with me and place it somewhere in my peripheral vision so I can quickly glance at the always-on display and check the time. The problem was, until now, the clock was tiny.
However, iOS 26 introduced the ability to resize the clock on the lock screen (and, by extension, the clock on the always-on display). This saves screen space and makes information easier to perceive both at a glance and from a distance.
It’s a small change, but it’s probably the biggest impact on how I use my phone. To change the size of the clock on the lock screen in iOS 26, simply go to your iPhone’s lock screen and long-press it. Tap the “Customize” button, then drag the bottom-right corner of the clock widget until you reach the desired size.
Please note that resizing the clock will only work with the first available font. If you don’t see a selection box around the bottom-right corner of the clock widget, you’ll need to tap it first and change the font before resizing.
Additionally, as a bonus, depending on your wallpaper, you can activate the depth effect by tapping the three-dot icon in the lower-right corner. This will place multiple photos in front of the clock, which may reduce readability, but can be useful for better viewing of the background, depending on your preference. For example, here are my cat ears appearing over the clock on my lock screen. The clock still appears uncluttered on my black always-on display (on iPhone 14 Pro and later, you can change the appearance of the always-on display in Settings > Display & Brightness > Always-On Display) .
Call filtering
I hardly answer calls anymore. As my grandparents used to say, “If it’s important, they’ll call back.” However, sometimes I still worry about missing a conversation or just looking rude. That’s where the new call filtering feature in iOS 26 comes in handy.
With this feature enabled, under Settings > Apps > Phone > Filter Unknown Callers > Ask Why Call , your iPhone will accept calls from unknown numbers and then ask the caller why they’re calling. As they answer, a transcript of their voice will appear on the screen, allowing you to pick up if you think it’s important. I haven’t received any spam calls since enabling this feature, so I haven’t tested it myself yet, but it seems like a great way to avoid spam without worrying about missing anything important.
And if you want to go even further, you can instead of the “Ask why I call” option, you can turn on “Silence” , which will simply forward all calls from unknown numbers to voicemail.
Please note that the call screening feature does not work for contacts, so you will still have to decide whether to answer your uncle’s long calls.
Improved fitness app
Until now, the Fitness app on iPhone was useful for getting a summary of your fitness data or accessing Apple Fitness+ workout videos, but not for tracking your workouts while running or at the gym. But that’s all changed.
After updating your phone to iOS 26, open the Fitness app. A new “Workout” tab will appear at the bottom of the navigation bar. Tap it, and you’ll see several workouts you can start directly from your phone.
All of them are designed for outdoor activities such as walking, running, cycling, and hiking. The idea is that even if you don’t have a fitness tracker, your phone can use GPS data to track your performance (tapping any of these trackers will display a screen asking for location tracking permission).
But that’s not all. If you connect your phone to a heart rate monitor, such as the one built into your Apple Watch (though you’re not limited to Apple peripherals), you’ll have access to other workout types, such as indoor running, yoga, and high-intensity interval training. You’ll just need to wear the tracker during your workout.
This feature doesn’t just work in the background. Start any workout, and you’ll see your stats live on your phone while you’re doing it—no more looking at your smartwatch’s tiny screen to check your stats. This also works for workouts started on your Apple Watch, as they’re easily replicated both in the Fitness app and in real time on your iPhone’s lock screen. Perfect.
Withholding aid
I’m traveling next week and need to call the pharmacy to renew my prescription before I leave town. Unfortunately, pharmacies tend to keep me waiting too long. That’s where Apple’s new Hold Assist feature comes in handy.
This allows your iPhone to detect when you’ve been placed on hold (listening for cues like music on hold) and prompt you to put the call on hold so you can step away. Tap the “Hold this call?” pop-up button, and your call will shrink to a small pill at the top of the screen. The call will be muted, and you can step away or use your iPhone as usual. When the other line takes you off hold, they’ll receive a short message informing them that Hold Assist is active, and you’ll receive a notification along with a ring and/or vibration to let you know you can answer the call again. You’ll also see a transcript of what the other person said while they were waiting for you to answer.
Hold Assist should be enabled by default after installing iOS 26, but to double-check, simply go to Settings > Apps > Phone > Hold Assist Detection and make sure the toggle is turned on.
Spam folder in the Messages app
Finally, your iPhone will automatically filter out spam. I don’t know about you, but I’ve been getting a lot of scam messages lately, like about unpaid traffic tickets (I don’t drive). The new “Spam” folder in Messages already does a pretty good job of keeping them out.
Essentially, it works the same way as the Spam folder in Gmail. Just open the Messages app, and you’ll likely notice fewer scam messages and offers there. To see where they all went, tap the three-line icon in the upper-right corner, then select the Spam folder.
You’ll see all the messages your iPhone has marked as spam, along with buttons to mark them as read or simply delete them. Be careful when viewing these messages—you probably don’t want to click on any links in them.
That’s it. Please note that, as with Gmail, false positives are possible, so if you’re expecting an important SMS message and don’t see it, check this folder. If you leave a message in the Spam folder for more than 90 days, it will be deleted. However, you can click the “Restore” button under the message you want to keep to return it to your main text message folder.
As with Hold Assist, spam filtering should be turned on by default, but to double-check, go to Settings > Apps > Messages > Unknown Senders and make sure the Spam Filtering toggle is turned on.